This course provides training in effective oral presentations to interdisciplinary audiences, and serves to reinforce the incorporation of quantitative approaches, rigor and reproducibility into Trainee research. This is a ten-week long course offered every Fall, Winter, and Spring Quarters specifically designed for Predoctoral Trainees in the Training Program in Molecular and Cellular Biology. Trainees enroll and participate in this course for six subsequent quarters during years 2-3 of graduate school.

The BCB298 course provides an opportunity for each Trainee to presenttheir research to the interdisciplinary audience of fellow Trainees, using a “Chalk Talk” format. This format allows for questions during the presentation, providing the Trainee an opportunity to practice thinking on their feet, and in listening and then thoughtfully answering questions, including giving judicious, non-defensive responses to criticism.

These presentations provide a forum for discussions of the importance of careful analysis and criticism of data, the inclusion of controls, and the possibility of alternative explanations, keys to understanding the scientific process and the responsible conduct of research. In addition to questions and real-time feedback during the presentation, each attendee contributes anonymous feedback via a Survey Monkey evaluation form.

The Trainer led presentation comprises a series of lecture based workshops covering research skills, strategies, methods, techniques and data analysis crucial to current and emerging approaches to molecular and cellular biology research, with a specific focus on applying quantitative approaches, and research rigor and reproducibility. These lectures are interleaved within the BCB298 course with Trainee chalk talk research presentations.